My dear Mrs. Longstreet:
At a recent meeting of the Mobile Chapter, Alabama Division, U. D. C., I was instructed by a rising vote to express to you the affectionate sympathy of the members of the Chapter, in the recent great bereavement which has befallen you in the death of your distinguished husband, General James Longstreet.
In this bereavement you have the sympathy of every Daughter of the Confederacy, who in unison with you weep the great and honored dead.
The conspicuous courage and heroic gallantry of General Longstreet on many a hard-fought battle-field, his never-failing devotion to the Southland, and his eminent services in her cause during the four long years of cruel war will ever render dear and precious to our hearts his great name and fame. Among the many condolences that have come to you from all over the South, none are more loving and heartfelt than those of the Mobile Chapter, whose words of love and sympathy I have been directed to express to you.
In giving expression to their grief and sorrow at the great loss which touches you so vitally, may I venture to add my own personal expression of admiration for your great husband, and of sympathetic love for yourself.
I am, with great respect, yours truly,
Electra Semmes Colston,
President.
*****
(T. D. Smith Chapter, U. D. C.)
“Always true to his convictions.”
Dublin, Georgia, January 18, 1904.